Recording-2025-03-10T00:50:15.133Z

Overview of Research in Psychology

• Focus on empirical studies, data analysis, and foundational knowledge for assignments and labs.

• Aims to prepare students for data analysis in future courses.

Class Announcements

• Class representatives are available on the course information page on Learn.

• Research assignment instructions are posted; due at the end of the term with ample support offered.

• Drop-in sessions with TAs and faculty are available for additional help.

• Faculty availability: office hours on Mondays post-class and Wednesdays pre-class.

• Weekly content goals are set to enhance understanding of research.

Importance of Research

• Research aids in informed decision-making and understanding of various life aspects, including health.

• Encourages discussion on real-life applications of scientific research.

• Contributes to personal and societal knowledge, with applications in psychology and beyond.

Approaches to Research in Psychology

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

• Quantitative Research

  • Involves numerical data collection and statistical analysis.

  • Useful for identifying patterns, relationships, and making predictions.

• Qualitative Research

  • Focuses on understanding experiences, behaviors, and phenomena through non-numerical means such as interviews, observations, and text analysis.

• Mixed methods approaches combine both quantitative and qualitative research to enhance findings.

Measures of Central Tendency

• Measures that summarize a data set:

  • Mean: Average of all values. Sensitive to outliers.

  • Median: Middle value when arranged in order. Useful in skewed distributions.

  • Mode: Most frequently occurring value, ideal for categorical data.

• Understanding when to apply each measure is key in data interpretation.

Visual Data Representation

• Frequency Tables: Show counts of different categories.

• Bar Graphs: Visual depiction of categorical data; bars are not connected, representing distinct categories.

• Histograms: Used for continuous data; bars are connected, showing ranges of values.

Understanding Sampling in Research

• Sampling is essential for obtaining data from a representative population without surveying every individual.

  • Random Samples: Aim to reduce bias and improve representativeness.

  • Sample Bias: May occur if the population is not adequately represented.

• Faculty emphasize the importance of knowing demographic representation in samples.

Understanding Data Spread and Variability

Describing Data Distribution

• Skewness: Indicates whether data is biased towards one end:

  • Negative Skew: More values are high, dragged down by outliers.

  • Positive Skew: More values are low, with a few high outliers.

• Range: Difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset.

• Variance and Standard Deviation: Measure how spread out the values are around the mean. Affects interpretation of the mean's relevance in describing the dataset.

Application to Psychology

• Understanding these principles helps assess psychological phenomena and human behavior.

• Effectively reporting and analyzing data from studies contributes to broader psychological knowledge bases and informs real-world applications.

Summary

• Research enables informed conclusions about phenomena based on evidence and reasoned observations.

• Key terms include quantitative research, qualitative research, central tendency measures, skewness, range, variance, and standard deviation.

• Encouragement for students to engage with lab resources and be proactive in learning to navigate their research roles.